Baby, It's Cold Outside
by kohitsujichan
Summary: Kyouko spends Christmas Eve with Ren, and it's too cold to go home.  Semi-fluffy


**Here have some Christmas fluff(ish type stuff) inspired by the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside," which I do not own. Also, I do not own Skip Beat!**

"That was delicious, Mogami-san," he said, finishing his last bite of her expertly cooked dinner.

"It's the ingredients," she said. "They're fresh. Unlike takeout."

"Anything you cook would be better than takeout," he said.

Kyouko grimaced, glancing in the direction of his trash can, where earlier, she had thrown out the meager ingredients of his refrigerator, all spoiled, all, presumably purchases from the last time she had cooked for him.

"I don't think anyone could have made a fit meal out of the groceries you had, Tsuruga-san," she said. "You really ought to keep at least some healthy food around. What do you eat when I'm not around?"

"I eat," he said.

She glared. "Convenience store bentous and onigiri don't count."

"I'll start cleaning up," he said, in an attempt to distract from his eating habits.

"No, no. I'll do that," she said.

"Mogami-san, I'm the one who invited you, wouldn't it be rude if I let you do the cooking _and_ the cleaning?"

"Fine. We'll do it together," she said, taking an armload of dishes to the kitchen.

They stood side by side at the sink, Kyouko washing the dishes and giving them to Ren to dry and put away. They made short work of the dishes, and Kyouko boxed up the leftovers.

"Make sure to eat these _before_ they go bad!" she said.

Ren chuckled. "I'll try."

Kyouko scowled.

"Ok, I'll be sure to eat them."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Because, I'll know if you don't eat properly," she said. "Yashiro-san is just as concerned about your eating habits as I am. He always tells me when you aren't eating."

Ren knew that Yashiro's concern for his health wasn't exactly the motive for his ready information, but he wasn't about to tell Kyouko.

"I'll eat them," he said. "It would be a waste not to eat your delicious cooking."

Kyouko glanced at the kitchen clock."I should go."

"Already?" he asked.

"It's getting late," she said. "Taisho and Okami-san will be worried."

"Why not at least have a cup of tea before you go," he said. "Then, I'll drive you home."

"You don't have to drive me," she protested.

"Mogami-san, it's dark and cold outside. I'm not letting you walk."

Kyouko begrudgingly accepted. She put the kettle on, and when the tea was ready, they settled down on Ren's couch to enjoy the hot beverage.

A hint of white glowing in the streetlight outside the window caught their eye, and they walked over to get a better view.

"It's snowing!" Kyouko exclaimed happily.

"Wow, it's pretty bad out there," Ren noted. It had been clear when they'd finished grocery shopping and gotten back to Ren's apartment. The snow had managed to pile quite high in just a matter of hours, a rarity for December in downtown Tokyo.

"It's really not that bad," she said.

He eyed the scene outside his window. Snow was piling in drifts against curbs, signposts, and anything that wasn't level to the ground. Swirls of white danced in the air.

"You're not going out in that," he said. It was a command, not a suggestion.

"But, Taisho and Okami-san will be worried if I don't go home," she said.

"I think they would be more worried if you tried to go home in this weather," he said. "Why don't you just call them and let them know you'll be staying here tonight?"

"But—"

"Mogami-san, I'm not letting you go out in this. If I could, I would drive you home, but the roads are pretty bad, and sports cars aren't exactly well known for their traction in snow."

"But, if I hurry and leave before it gets too bad—"

"Mogami-san, there's no way you're walking in this."

Kyouko pouted.

"Or are you still worried I'll peep at you in the bathtub?" he asked with a grin.

"No!" Kyouko said, turning bright red and waving both hands before her to punctuate her denial.

"Then there's no problem, is there?"

After further protests proved fruitless, Kyouko was forced to agree to Ren's plan. Every problem she offered, was met with a simple solution from Ren. Meanwhile, the snow continued to pile higher by the minute.

* * *

Ren came back into the room with an armful of clothes for Kyouko to wear to bed, just as she was hanging up the phone.

"Did you get through to them?" Ren asked.

"Yes. Okami-san was glad that I wouldn't be going outside tonight." Kyouko turned a faint pink, "She said to give you her thanks for taking care of me."

Ren gave a warm smile.

"And, I want to thank you too," she said, looking at the floor. "I'm always imposing on you."

"I should be the one to say that," he said, "After all, I'm always having you cook for me. The least I can do is see that you don't become an icicle."

Kyouko smiled. "Thank you, Tsuruga-san."

"Well, let's get the guest room set up for you," he said. "And here. Some clothes for you to wear to bed."

She blushed as she took the clothes from him and headed to the guest room.

Kyouko grumbled to herself as she slipped under the covers. She could have avoided this whole situation if she'd only turned him down flat, but lately, that seemed to be getting harder and harder to do. Maybe it was the puppy dog face, but then, he hadn't used the puppy dog face earlier.

* * *

"Hello, Mogami-san," Ren greeted her.

She returned the greeting with a smile."Hello, Tsuruga san."

"Are you done for today?" he asked.

She was wearing her coat and holding her bag, ready to leave.

"Yes," she said. "I only had LoveMe requests today, but I think everyone is leaving early to make their Christmas plans, so I didn't get many requests."

"Do you have plans for this evening then?" he asked.

"Well, I was going to help out at the Darumaya, but it's usually not very busy on Christmas." She scowled. "Most people go to more _romantic_ restaurants."

"If you're not busy then, how about joining me for dinner? I just finished up for today too, and," he said with a smirk, "that way, you can make sure I eat properly."

"Eh? On Christmas?" she asked, alarm bells going off in her head.

Ren smiled. "Yes."

"But—"

"But?" he asked.

Kyouko turned bright red and turned her gaze to the floor. "But it's a couple's holiday."

"What was that?" he asked.

"It's a couples holiday," she repeated, looking up at him. "What will people think if I go out with Tsuruga Ren on Christmas?"

He smiled warmly at her.

"Impossible!" she said.

His smile slipped for a moment, but it was back almost before she had noticed its disappearance. "What if we didn't go out ?"

Kyouko raised an eyebrow.

"We could order in," he said. "We could eat at my place. That wouldn't be 'going out with Tsuruga Ren on Christmas,' would it?"

"Well, no," she admitted.

"Good, it's settled then," he said with a smile.

* * *

Ren stood outside the door of his guest room and took a calming breath before knocking.

He heard rustling, and then Kyouko called, "Come in."

"I brought an extra blanket," he said, stepping into the room.

"Thank you," she said. She blushed faintly, glancing at the baggy sweatshirt and athletic pants she was wearing. "And Thank you for letting me borrow the clothes."

"Not at all," he said. "I only wish they fit better."

"But I'll be warmer this way," she said, with a smile. She hugged herself to demonstrate the warmth, and Ren swallowed hard.

He held out the blanket. "Well, in case it's not enough…"

"Ah, thank you," she said again, getting up to take it from him.

The pants, however, were quite a bit too long, and Kyouko tripped as she got up to take the blanket. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for impact, but Ren was faster than gravity.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She cracked her eyes open and scrambled back, but Ren held her steady.

"I'm alright. Thank you for catching me," she said, blushing.

"Any time."

"Well, um, thank you for the blanket," Kyouko said, taking it from his hands.

"Let me know if you need anything else, Mogami-san."

"A-alright," she said. "Goodnight Tsuruga-san."

"Good night Mogami-san."

Ren breathed a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind him. He was beginning to wonder if he had slightly masochistic tendencies. As much as he enjoyed having Kyouko near, it was sometimes more painful to be in her presence, unable to do anything or tell her how he felt, than it was to be alone. Today had been a good day though, and he was looking forward to tomorrow.

When Kyouko woke up the next day, she was unexpectedly greeted by the smell of food. She followed her nose to the dining room, where she found Ren setting the table.

"You cooked," she said.

"You don't have to look so surprised," he laughed. "Even I can make miso and rice."

She looked incredulously at the food before her.

"If it's horrible, we can go out to breakfast, since it looks like the roads have been plowed." He smiled at her. "But I couldn't let you cook your own breakfast on your birthday."

"Eh?"

"Which reminds me," he said, "happy birthday, Mogami-san."

For a moment Kyouko was speechless.

"Sit down," he said, pulling out her chair for her. There was a single rose in a vase at her place setting.

"Did you really do all this for me?" she asked in awe.

"It's only miso and rice," he said. "It really is too plain, but I thought I'd try something basic and, hopefully, edible, over something I can't hope to succeed at."

"Thank you so much!" Kyouko said. Her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. "I thought the happy grateful party was wonderful, but this is the first time I've ever celebrated just my birthday, one on one with someone else."

"I'm honored to be the first," Ren said.

As Ren watched Kyouko joyfully eating his pathetic attempt at breakfast, he came to two new realizations. One, that perhaps, the gods were not all against him, and two, he really loved snow storms. He would be praying for an even bigger one next year.

**AN: I was going to attempt a sequel to Expressions, now that I'm on winter break, but I couldn't get more than three lines into anything. I may attempt it again later, but for now, this is all I've got. Leave me a review if you'd like to let me know what you think.**

**Also, for those who are interested in a semi unimportant cultural note which you may have figured out just from reading this story...or chapter 120 of the manga, here it is: In Japan, Christmas is Celebrated more on Christmas Eve than Christmas Day, and is directed mostly toward children and couples.  
**


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